Patent Document Japanese Laying-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-141490 (see FIG. 3 to 5, Page 2 to 5) presents a first conventional technique in which an amusement media lending/issuing machine for purchasing amusement media includes an IC coin drop-in slot through which IC coins, having stored therein value information, are dropped in. The machine also has an IC coin discharge outlet for discharging IC coins, an IC coin path that comes from the IC coin drop-in slot and gets to the IC coin discharge outlet, and a communication means that is arranged at the IC coin path.
Japanese Laying-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-327747 (see FIG. 3, Page 9) presents a second conventional technique from which it is known to provide an IC coin processing apparatus for an amusement machine for purchasing amusement media. A plurality of concave retention portions removably retain IC coins communicable under a non-contact state in the outer circumference direction. These retention portions are formed on the circle of a pivotable retention pivot body. An IC coin drop-in slot for dropping in IC coins is arranged at a position facing the outer circumference of the retention pivot body, and a communication means that communicates with IC coins retained by the retention pivot body under non-contact state is arranged at a predetermined position on the pivot trajectory of the retention portions of the retention pivot body.
Under the first conventional technique, an IC coin is dropped in through the IC coin drop-in slot with its vertically standing posture, and the IC coin rolls to reach the IC coin path communicable with the communication means, at which position the communication means reads and writes value information stored in the IC coin. Accordingly, a coin path on which an IC coin rolls is necessary, and there is raised a problem that a reading and writing apparatus for IC coins is enlarged in size. A customer or a game player cannot visually confirm that an IC coin is retained at the coin path. So, there is arranged a shutter that is electrically operated so that a game player does not drop in an additional IC coin through the drop-in slot. As a result, there is raised a problem that the reading and writing apparatus of the first conventional technique is expensive.
Under the second conventional technique, similarly, an IC coin is dropped in through the drop-in slot with its vertically standing posture, and is received by the retention portion of the retention pivot body, and then the retention pivot body is made to pivot by a predetermined angle to make the dropped in IC coin face the communication means, in which state the communication means communicates with a storage unit of the IC coin. Under the second conventional technique, the IC coin retained at the retention portion can communicated with the communication means when the retention pivot body is made to pivot by a predetermined angle. Accordingly, it is impossible for plural IC coins to communicate with the communication means simultaneously. However, it is required that the diameter of the retention pivot body be two times that of an IC coin or more, which enlarges the reading and writing apparatus in size as well as requires equipment to pivot the retention pivot body, raising a problem of high cost.